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Boston College suspended defensive end Brady Smith after he was charged with on-campus sexual assault and breaking and entering.

Spokesman Jack Dunn said the 20-year-old Finksburg, Md., resident is alleged to have committed the offenses either Saturday evening or early Sunday.

The Boston Herald reported Sunday that coach Jeff Jagodzinski had announced Smith was indefinitely suspended from the team for violating team rules. He did not elaborate.

Dunn did not immediately return calls seeking comment Sunday.

Smith started in 12 games last season and finished with 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks during the team's 11-3 season.

-ESPN

I hope that he didn't do it but if he did then i'm glad he is suspended because he is not the type of player that Boston College wants on their team. I thought he was going to have a very good senior season but we will move on and be fine without him

BOSTON -- A Boston College football player has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and breaking and entering with an intent to commit a felony for an on-campus incident.

A Brighton District Court judge on Tuesday ordered 20-year-old Brady Smith to be held on $50,000 cash bail and to stay away from the alleged victim and college property.

Smith, of Finksburg, Md., has been in custody since his weekend arrest. College officials have suspended him from classes and the football team.

Details of the incident were not immediately available.

Defense attorney Philip Tracy Jr. said Smith's family hopes to have him home to sort out what happened.

Smith, a defensive end, started in 12 games last season, finishing with 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

-ESPN

He better plead not guilty and he better hope that its a huge mistake because if not he is going to find him self in jail for a very long time. What a great way to ruin your football career, life, and make the BC football program look bad for letting you play for them

OK so here its 3:10 AM and i am only about 1500 words into a 4000 word paper thats due tomorrow. ESPN is on in the backround and they are having an interview with Jagz. Here is a brief overview of what he had to say.

-About the Brady Smith situation: He basically said that the players need to learn from this unfortunate situation and to let due process take its course.

-He said losing the leadership of Matt Ryan and Jollon Dunbar is going to be tough. He said Chris Crane is the starter so i guess there is no longer a competition.

-Finally when asked what he is looking for in the spring game on Saturday, he replied no injuries. He said the team is banged up so they need to get healthy for the season!!!

BOSTON -- Boston College defensive end Brady Smith has been kicked off the team after he was charged in an on-campus rape.

Smith pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of raping a 21-year-old student and breaking and entering with an intent to commit a felony during the weekend incident. The junior was held on $50,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and college property.

Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski said Wednesday he had permanently dismissed Smith from the team. Smith had been suspended from classes and the football team following his arrest.

The 20-year-old Smith started 12 games for the Eagles last season and finished the year with 29 tackles.

Jagodzinski said he would not comment further on his decision.

-ESPN

I know all of you BC fans were dying to see some news posts in here but unfortunately its just another update on the whole Brady Smith issue. Jagz seems like a nice guy but i'm glad he kicked him off the team for good. We dont need this kind of thing hanging over the program

Well, i realize they are no longer college football players but they will always be Boston College Eagles. Congrats to Matt Ryan(Falcons) and Gosder Cherilus(Lions) for being selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. I was so excited to hear their names called and i cant wait to hear DeJuan Tribble's, Jamie Silva's, and hopefully Andre Callender's tomorrow...

While departed quarterback Matt Ryan waited at Radio City Music Hall in New York for the NFL draft to begin, senior Chris Crane completed 18-of-35 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown Saturday in the Boston College football team's annual Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Game.

Redshirt freshman Dominique Davis, who is competing with Crane to replace Ryan as the Eagles' signal-caller this fall, completed 5-of-16 passes for 58 yards.

"Overall, I was pleased with what I saw," Coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "We made it through the spring without any major injuries, and we laid a solid foundation for the fall."

Junior Clarence Megwa led all receivers with five catches for 68 yards. Sophomore Billy Flutie also had five catches (for 47 yards) while junior Rich Gunnell had four catches for 53 yards and the one touchdown reception (from Crane).

Sophomore running back Dan Mulrooney led all rushers with 10 carries for 33 yards, while true freshman Josh Haden had nine carries for 20 yards.

On defense, true freshman Donnie Fletcher led the way with six tackles. Senior linebacker Brian Toal, returning to action this spring after sitting out last season with a medical redshirt, returned to action to contribute four tackles. Junior cornerback Razzie Smith provided some excitement when he picked off a pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.

Interestingly, punting duties were shared by place-kicker Steve Aponavicius and Flutie. Aponavicius punted three times for a 42-yard average, while Flutie booted two to average 32.5 yards.

The annual game is named in honor of Jay McGillis, a starting defensive back for BC who passed away from leukemia in 1992. At halftime of the game, senior safety Paul Anderson was named the recipient of the Jay McGillis scholarship, which is presented annually to a deserving defensive back.

The offensive stats might not look good, but i think thats just because our Defense is going to be amazing again(hopefully). I like that Billy Flutie is getting some PT at receiver and....punter

Last year was the first time Boston College linebacker Brian Toal didn't play football since the third grade, and, clearly, he missed it.

After sitting out last season with a torn shoulder labrum -- for which he received a medical redshirt -- Toal returned this spring a little antsy to get back on the field.

"I'm more ready than ever," he said. "I've been working out for a year, rehabbing my shoulder, running a lot. I'm in the best shape of my life right now. If I'm not ready this year, I'll never be ready."

Toal enters his senior season with 180 career tackles (98 solo) and 16.5 tackles for loss. In 2006, Toal was also used as a short-yardage back and led the Eagles with five rushing touchdowns. Coach Jeff Jagodzinski said he has no intention of using Toal on offense this season, but Toal is just happy to be playing and is looking forward to "proving to people that I am a great football player."

"I've been hurt a lot and had a lot of things going on like that, so a lot of people I guess kind of doubted me," he said. "I kind of look at this as a statement year for myself, try to really make a name for myself."

Toal said his shoulder didn't bother him at all this spring. Waiting for August, though, does.

-ESPN

Brian Toal sounds like he is ready to go, so all of those ACC RB's and WR's better watch out when running his direction...the guy is an animal. He has so much talent and i'm so happy that he is finally healthy. Just having him back on the field makes me feel so much more comfortable about our defense

It was common knowledge that when he took over last year, head coach Jeff Jagodzinski inherited a veteran team with a future first round, $72 million dollar quarterback, but now that much of that senior-laden group has graduated, the coach’s job is about to get a whole lot tougher. And now he’ll get to show why he’s one of the hottest coaches in college football.

Not only has Matt Ryan left the Heights for the NFL, but so have last year’s top two rushers, the best offensive lineman, and three Second Team All-ACC defensive players. However, two potential all-leaguers, DT B.J. Raji and LB Brian Toal, will be coming off the shelf after sitting out all of last season, and Jagodzinski made his name on being able to coach offensive players. There’s no real reason to expect much of a drop-off this year, if any.

After getting to the ACC title game and winning 11 games for the first time since 1940, the program should continue to expect eight-plus win seasons every year and be unbeatable in December bowl games. For the first time since 1996, neither Ryan nor Tom O’Brien is in Chestnut Hill, meaning Jagodzinski will have to be a leader, and not just a rebuilder.

The schedule doesn’t get especially ornery until mid-October, so new quarterback Chris Crane will have time to get acclimated in September against the likes of Kent State, Rhode Island, and UCF. So there will be time to get everyone’s feet wet in a critical stretch for a team with several major questions.

Can Crane, who had a good spring, be close to as good as Ryan? Will there be more of a running game? What will the Eagles do to help out pass rushing star Alex Albright with concerns about the other end? How quickly will all the good new recruits be a part of the show?

There’s no real reason to be too worried. There’s still plenty of talent to work around, the defense will be nasty, and Jagodzinski will do his part with Crane. In a relatively weak ACC, there’s no reason to shoot for anything less than a title and a BCS game. The program has stayed that good, even after the coaching transition.

What to look for offense: Scoring issues early one …and not just because Ryan is gone. Of course the quarterback will be missed, but even when he was chasing the Heisman, BC had trouble getting into the end zone. On top of that, there’s been a complete evacuation at running back, with a few recruits needing to shine, and two of the line’s best blockers are on NFL rosters. Even if Crane is up to the challenge, the Eagles will attempt plenty of field goals, putting even more pressure on Steve Aponavicius to be better.

What to look for on defense: A brick wall of a run defense. After yielding just 75 yards a game on the ground, the Eagles might be even stingier now that DT B.J. Raji and LB Brian Toal are back in the fold. The front seven is among the toughest in the country, meaning the secondary had better be prepared for plenty of attention. Teams will have to throw to win.

The team will be much better if ... a running game can be mined from an extremely young stable of backs. Whether it’s Josh Haden, the offense needs to establish a degree of balance to take some heat off the new quarterback and the passing game. Even the new-age BC offense needs to have success on the ground, especially in the post-Ryan era, after finishing 106th in the nation in rushing.

The Schedule: It's tough, but all the big ACC games, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Clemson, are in Boston. The road schedule is a breeze for a while going to Cleveland to face Kent State and later traveling to NC State and North Carolina, and then comes the problem in back-to-back November dates against Florida State and Wake Forest.

Best Offensive Player: Junior WR Rich Gunnell. Although he won’t blow you away with his size or speed, Gunnell simply makes plays, and typically at the most critical point in the game. The definition of a clutch player, he was always in Ryan’s crosshairs when the game was on the line finishing with 64 receptions for 931 yards and seven touchdowns. He’ll help Crane out immeasurably.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Brian Toal. DT B.J. Raji may have a little more upside with the NFL, but Toal is an emotional leader and the best football player on this defense. After a breakout freshman year in 2004, he has leveled off and even regressed, largely due to problems with his neck and shoulders. Those have been addressed with surgery and a year of rest, which the linebacker feels has him set up for a monster finale with the Eagles.

Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Chris Crane. While he doesn’t have to be Ryan for the Eagles to soar, he does have to protect the ball and get it in the hands of an underrated ensemble of receivers. Equally important, he must become one of team leaders and accountable in the clutch, which were two of Ryan’s strongest intangibles.

The season will be a success if ... the Eagles get to eight wins and extend their nation’s-best bowl winning streak to nine games. They could easily get off to a 5-0 start, but the second-half stretch of Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson, Notre Dame, Florida State, Wake Forest, and Miami might be too much for a program looking for answers in the offensive and defensive backfields.

Key game: Nov. 1 vs. Clemson. What better way to announce that last year was no fluke than by knocking off the favorite in the ACC? Wake Forest and Florida State will certainly be in the hunt as well, but the outcome of this game will go a long way to determining the Atlantic Division champion. The Tigers will come in with something to prove after losing a heartbreaker to the Eagles in Death Valley last November.

Who wrote this article, hughest4? I agree with most of what this guy said and Boston College will most likely have another solid season. The coaching staff is very good and they will do fine utilizing the talent they have. Chris Crane is definitely an interesting playing and i am definitely looking forward to seeing what he can do. Brian Toal is a brick wall and its so great to see the 5-star recruit finally healthy again.

Yup, Toal was definitely a 5 star recruit and i think he showed that in his first couple of seasons at BC. It sucks that he had the shoulder injury because now they aren't going to let him be a beastly fullback anymore. Toal was such a beast at Don Bosco and i was shocked when he decided on BC...we dont ever get 5 star guys

So i just made a trip to BC..and the place is still amazing. Everytime i go there i wish i could go to school there but i know its not happening. I did visit the law school so i guess its a possibility. Anyways, i went to the BC bookstore and stocked up on my BC apparel. Also, i found what i have been looking for since forever...the yellow BC SuperFan shirt. So glad i got it. Thats my story. I should be sleeping since i have work at 6

When the Boston College defense works out separately from the offense and a player "messes up," defensive end Alex Albright said there's one thought:

"A lot of guys say, 'This is defense, we don't do that,'" said Albright, who led the team with 8.5 sacks last year. "We have so much expectation on ourselves that really we leave ourselves no room for error. We take that mentality that we have to carry the team to heart. That's something we really focus on a lot."

Eagles fans will be happy to hear it.

So much attention has been placed on what Boston College's offense doesn't have that it's talented defense might have been overlooked. Not only are the Eagles' front seven proven veterans, but they've also been given a boost by the return of defensive tackle B.J. Raji, who was academically ineligible last year, and Albright, who missed the last three games with a broken forearm.

"I can't even explain how much that helps," said strongside linebacker Mark Herzlich, who started all 14 games last season and will play his third linebacker position in as many seasons. "It's going to benefit our team exponentially. Having B.J. in there -- B.J. and Ron (Brace) in the middle is going to really change opposing offenses' attack. Those are two immovable men. They both weigh 340 pounds. To just run straight up the middle is going to be hard."

The one thing this defense needs to work on is its pass coverage. It's important to remember, though, that because the Eagles' run defense was so impressive (allowing an ACC-best 75.5 yards per game), teams were left with little alternative other than to throw the ball. Boston College was last in the league in pass defense, allowing 253.9 yards per game.

This is why the Eagles have been working on their pass coverage every day this summer.

And while they've been genuinely impressed by quarterback Chris Crane and freshman running back Josh Haden, these guys have no problem carrying the load until the offense works out its kinks.

"The offense is definitely coming together," said Herzlich, who was second on the team with 97 tackles last season and led with 12 tackles for loss. "It's coming together well and quicker than a lot of people thought it was. That's always a positive, but in order to set the tempo and set the attitude of the game, defense does need to set an example and go out on the field and do everything perfect. No errors."

That's not to say they haven't been wowed at times during the offseason by their teammates on the other side of the ball.

"In the past, when you're on a team and you get a stellar recruit, you're a little cautious when they first come in," Herzlich said. "You never know if the ratings are a fluke or what, but he came in and he has really proven himself this spring and winter. One thing I love about Josh, he's fast enough to get around the outside, and he's small, but once he gets off the line of scrimmage, he has a quick burst, which is something we haven't had -- that quick ability of a running back in the past couple of years. Andre (Callender) had flat-out speed and L.V. (Whitworth) was pretty powerful, but Josh has combined a little bit of both which is really nice to see."

Albright agreed.

"This kid has just explosive speed," he said. "He gets outside faster than anyone I've seen before. He's such a downhill quick runner. If he gets even the slightest hole, look out, because he's gone."

As for quarterback Chris Crane?

"If he was at another school he would have been playing," Albright said. "He is so fast and he has a heck of an arm. A lot of people will be surprised when we come out for Kent State."

-ESPN

I am very excited to see what this defense can do because there is just so much talent and depth. Like i have said before the only guy i feel that we will truly miss is Jamie Silva..he is irreplaceable. I doubt any team will be able to run on us though this year. Ron Brace and BJ Raji in the middle is amazing

GREENSBORO, Ga. -- Boston College quarterback Chris Crane has always worn the No. 10 jersey and he will continue to do so. He has always had a locker two down from his predecessor Matt Ryan and he will stay there this season.
]
"His big thing is that he's not going to try to be like Matt," said Eagles' tight end Ryan Purvis, Crane's roommate for the past four years. "He's going to try to be like Chris Crane. He's going to do things how Chris Crane does them. He's not going to worry about filling Matt's shoes, but making his own footprints."

Purvis admitted Sunday his answer to the life-without-Matt question had "been evolving all day."

Of course it has. He's been asked about it nonstop, and since Crane wasn't here in Greensboro, Ga., his roommate was the next best thing.

"It's not as big a deal to us as a team as it is to everyone else," Purvis said.

From the outside looking in, it's huge -- Ryan was BC's highest NFL draft selection ever and set single-season school and ACC records in pass completions and passing yardage. Crane's most significant game action came in 2006, when he made his first career start against Buffalo. He completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 142 yards and one touchdown. In addition to overcoming his own inexperience, Crane will also be working with two new starters on the offensive line and a freshman running back.

The best thing the Eagles have coming back this season?

Offensive coordinator Steve Logan.

When Logan arrived at BC, he threw everything he had at his new players to see who could do what and what they could feature. In what he calls his "smorgasbord" of an offense, there are enough options to choose from that he can adjust to whatever he's got.

"He's a little more mobile than Matt," Logan said of Crane. "He might not possess the same innate accuracy with the football, but he's pretty close. We'll feature a few different things."

Mainly, it will be things only the coaching staff notices, not you on your couch.

Crane's teammates have expressed the utmost confidence in Crane, but being a quarterback is about more than completing passes.

"Matt was like a born leader, and Crane is kind of evolving into that," Purvis said. "He's getting to where he needs to be."

Can he get there in time for the second game of the season, the Sept. 6 ACC home opener against Georgia Tech?

"Chris is definitely a capable quarterback," Purvis said. "He waited his turn. He's confident. He has the ability to get it done."

All he has to do now is prove it.

-ESPN

It seems like everybody that matters is confident in Chris Crane's ability and that includes me. He has waited for his chance and hopefully now he comes through for us. I feel that Steve Logan will find a way to make things work for him. He is a great OC